1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a software robot with genetic code, and in particular, to a software robot apparatus having a compatible software robot platform.
2. Description of the Related Art
The genetic code found in a software robot (sobot) is the robot genome consisting of a plurality of artificial chromosomes, which enables the software robot to have individuality showing unique response and behavior upon receiving an input of an external stimulus. For example, a puppy sobot may react to an input of feeding-like stimulus by showing an action of swinging its tail or lightly barking. The sobot is also provided with various functions such as learning, memorizing and instinctive behavior, which affect the sobot's reactions and behavior. In particular, the artificial chromosomes defined in the robot genome interact with the external environment that define the robot's individuality or personality that changes the robot's internal state (i.e., motivation, homeostasis, emotion, etc.) and behavior. In this case, the characteristics of motivation, homeostasis, emotion, behavior, etc. are as shown below in Table 1:
TABLE 1PersonalityDeterminer of the totality or a part of behavioral characteristics rather than simplysummarized technical details. Including motivation, homeostasis, and emotion. Namely,the personality engine represents an engine involving all of the motivation, homeostasis,and emotion. Generating various internal states and behaviors.MotivationProcess of rousing an activity of a living being and controlling its pattern. Cause ofselecting and performing an activity. Examples include curiosity, intimacy, weariness,avoidance, possession, dominance, etc.HomeostasisFunction of maintaining a stable state of equilibrium between the different butinterdependent elements of an organism regardless of continuous changes of the internaland external environments. Cause of selecting and performing an activity. Examplesinclude hunger, sleepiness, tiredness, etc.EmotionPsychic and physical reaction subjectively experienced as strong feeling. Examples arehappiness, sadness, anger, fear, etc.BehaviorAnything that an organism does involving action such as moving and stopping. Examplesare sleeping, eating, running, etc. The behavioral types to be selected by an organism arelimited, and it may do only a single behavior at any instant.
Furthermore, the artificial chromosomes may be classified into three groups: (1) an essential element-related group, (2) an internal state-related group, and (3) a behavior selection-related group. The essential element-related group chromosomes define the essential parameters greatly affecting a change of the internal state and the external behavior, while the internal state-related group chromosomes define the parameters affecting the robot's internal state according to the input of the external stimuli exerted to the robot. The behavior selection-related chromosomes, however, define the parameters that determine an external behavior corresponding to the internal state presently determined. In this case, the internal state is defined as motivation, homeostasis, emotion, etc. Namely, the internal state of the robot may be determined by the robot's own internal state and the internal state-related chromosomes which are the parameters affecting the robot's internal state according to the input of the external stimuli.
This also applies to the behavior selection-related chromosomes, except that behavior selection-related chromosomes involve various behaviors instead of the external stimuli and also involve various parameters for the particular behavior relating to their respective internal states. The essential element-related chromosomes group, which are the essential parameters greatly affecting a change of the internal state and the external behavior, may include the volatility, initial value, mean value, convergent value, damping value with time, and a particular value determined at a particular time in accordance with the respective internal states such as motivation, homeostasis and emotion. As a result, the robot genome consists of the essential element-related chromosomes serving as the essential parameters affecting a change of the internal state and the external behavior, the internal state-related chromosomes serves as the parameters affecting the robot's internal state according to the input of the external stimuli, and the behavior selection-related chromosomes serves as the parameters determining an external behavior corresponding to the internal state presently determined.
All of the parameters of the essential element-related chromosomes group, the internal state-related chromosomes group, and behavior selection-related chromosomes group, as well as the changes of the internal state such as changes of emotion, motivation and homeostasis depending on the external stimuli and the behaviors corresponding to such changes may be determined by an artificial animated object engine. The process relating to the artificial animated object engine is generally known in the art in Korean Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-78322 entitled “Artificial Animated Object System and an Educational Software System Using It” invented by Jong-Whan KIM and published on Sep. 10, 2004.
However, though current sobot technology has significantly developed the state of the sobot's artificial animated object engine, the technology still lacks in standardization of the other components necessary to develop useful sobot applications. Hence, the components required for developing the sobot applications have been developed separately and according to each developer. Furthermore, since the artificial animated object engine is not hardware-independent, a different porting system is required for each instrument equipped with the artificial animated object engine. Accordingly, whenever a sobot is developed or applied to a particular instrument, a different platform is developed, thereby preventing compatibility between the different sobot applications and, thus, hampering future sobot applications development.